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Top Tampa GOP Figure Shares Joke About Killing Obama

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By WILLIAM MARCH | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 15, 2008

Updated: 10/15/2008 08:20 pm

TAMPA - Al Austin, a high-level Republican fundraiser from Tampa, sent an e-mail to his list of his political contacts Wednesday containing a joke that refers to the assassination of Barack Obama.

In an interview, Austin said it was a mistake and apologized, that he hadn't fully read the e-mail and wouldn't knowingly have circulated it.

Later in the day, Austin sent a follow-up e-mail saying it was "a serious mistake on my part" and that the joke "was entirely wrong and certainly does not represent my feelings."

The joke concerns a group of school children discussing the definition of "tragedy," as opposed to "great loss" or "accident."

The punchline says that if an airplane carrying Obama and his wife was blown up, "it certainly wouldn't be a great loss, and it probably wouldn't be an accident either."

Austin acknowledged sending the e-mail to his list of political contacts, but said he did so while distracted by a conversation with his doctor and didn't know what it said. That list included at least two reporters.

According to the forwarding history on the e-mail, it had been gone through at least two other individuals before being sent to Austin on Tuesday. Those two individuals didn't immediately respond to e-mails seeking comment.

Austin, a prominent real estate developer long known as one of the state's leading Republican campaign fundraisers, has served in recent years as finance chairman for both the national and state Republican parties.

Controversy has arisen in the presidential race concerning virulent anti-Obama outbursts among the crowds at some rallies for John McCain and Sarah Palin.

On Wednesday, the Secret Service was looking into a second allegation that a Palin rallygoer shouted "kill him" after mention of Obama's name, according to The Associated Press.

The Scranton Times-Tribune reported the shout.

A similar incident occurred at a Palin rally in Clearwater last week according to a news report and some witnesses, when Palin talked about Obama's relationship with former anti-Vietnam War radical William Ayers.

The Secret Service investigated that allegation and found no proof that "kill him" was said, or if it was said, that the remark was directed at Obama, according to the agency's spokesman, Eric Zahren.

"We would ask that anyone overhearing threatening language bring it to the attention of the Secret Service or other law enforcement at the event immediately," Zahren said.

Reporter William March can be reached at (813) 259-7761.

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